Washington, DC, January 23, 2023 – The World Bank today approved a $200 million loan for the Dominican government to continue supporting the Dominican Republic’s emergency response and reconstruction needs following the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona. Through this financing, more support will be provided to affected communities and the country’s institutional capacity to manage climate risk and chart a more resilient, inclusive recovery path will be strengthened.
“The World Bank immediately responded to the request of the Government of the Dominican Republic to continue support for the rehabilitation and reconstruction needed after Hurricane Fiona. This assistance will further assist the affected areas, provide disaster financing and will be critical to reducing the economic impact and improving the country’s capacity to respond to future natural hazards.” said Dominican Finance Minister Jose Manuel Vicente.
In September 2022, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in the Dominican Republic with sustained winds of 150 km/h, causing heavy rainfall, severe flooding and widespread loss of livelihoods and critical services. It affected more than 1.4 million people and caused widespread damage to public infrastructure, agriculture, water supplies and housing.
The Dominican Republic Hurricane Fiona Emergency Response Project continues to primarily support the population of the eight most affected municipalities (Hato Mayor, La Altagracia, La Romana, El Cibo, Monte Plata, Samana, MarÃa Trinidad Sánchez and Duarte). will focus on restoring livelihoods, improving critical public and community infrastructure and reducing the vulnerability of communities to natural hazards and the negative impacts of climate change.
“Disasters have a greater impact on the poorest households and pose significant risks to the economic stability, safety and well-being of the population,” said Alexandria Valerio, World Bank Representative for the Dominican Republic. “Through this project, we will work closely with the Dominican Republic to support families affected by Fiona, as well as medium- and long-term development goals that enable the country to become more resilient in a more inclusive and sustainable way. “
The project will benefit 70,000 people in the most affected areas with timely support, as well as some 300,000 people through public and community infrastructure improvements. The project will provide access to land planning instruments to at least 54 local governments, enable better risk management at the municipal and national level, and follow the guidelines of the recently adopted Land Management Law.
Activities will also focus on strengthening geospatial information systems to assess disaster risk and appropriate response. The entire Dominican population will benefit from improved government capacity to respond to disasters and emergencies.
contact
In the Dominican Republic:
Alejandra de la Paz
In Washington:
Yuri Szabo
